1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to dental implements, and more specifically to a dental mirror with suction ports on the periphery of the mirror that cleans the mirror reflective surface by drawing air across the reflective surface during a dental procedure.
2. Prior Art
It is known to have dental mirrors to facilitate various treatments by the dentist or hygienist. It is also known to have dental mirrors that include suction ports that draw fluids and debris through the mirror and out the mirror handle, allowing the dentist or hygienist to proceed without the involvement of an assistant using a separate suction hose and without a suction hose that hooks on the user's mouth. Suction ports in these mirrors previously have been directed radially outward from the mirror from a circular mirror, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,856 by Lee, to draw from the patient's mouth but with no function of keeping the reflective surface of the mirror clean. Dental mirrors commonly become obscured by water introduced by another dental implement or by patient saliva or by debris ancillary to the dental procedure.
The reflective surface of mirrors also frequently gets scratched or otherwise damaged. Previously, the entire mirror must be discarded. It would be advantageous to be able to replace the reflective surface without replacing the entire mirror to reduce costs.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a dental mirror that is maintained unobscured by fluids and debris within the patient's mouth while also providing for removal of those fluids and debris out of the mouth by suction. It is also an object that the reflecting surface of the mirror be replaceable so the entire mirror unit would not need to be discarded each time a reflective surface, thus reducing the costs of using suction mirrors.